Donaldson et al. Social Media Crime Reporting Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 1 Using a Design Science Approach to Create and Evaluate a Social Media Crime Reporting Tool in a Developing Country: Case Jamaica  Opal Donaldson University of Technology, Jamaica guccipalli@yahoo.com Nadine Maitland University of Technology, Jamaica nadinemland@yahoo.com Evan W. Duggan University of the West Indies evan.duggan@uwimona.edu.jm ABSTRACT Latin America and Caribbean countries account for a considerable percentage of the homicide rate globally. The level of crime in this region has had a negative effect on growth and development. We posit that the use of social media as a crime reporting tool could have a positive impact in these economies. Therefore the purpose of this research is to use design science to create a social media crime reporting tool to be implemented in Jamaica. Over a period of eighteen months the research and development team engaged with members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to assess design requirements for this artifact. We present the preliminary results from the first interaction of the design cycle, which suggest that privacy and security risks, protecting the identity of informants, verifying evidence submission and reconciling Jamaica’s legislation with the use of the artifact are major concerns for members of the JCF. Keywords Social Media, Crime Reporting, Design Science, Developing Countries INTRODUCTION The impact of social networks on the way humans communicate is immeasurable (Ashur & Huberman, 2010; Pepper, 2012; Wellman, 2001). Increasingly, in the age of information and communication technologies, more people are connecting virtually rather than coming together in a physical space (Wellman 2002). Social networks have transformed the way people communicate and, in the area of crime reporting, have facilitated communication between friends and neighbors without them having to come together for formal meetings (Demoss, 2011). The explosion of social networking sites has not only changed the way we communicate but also the way we practice law (Olson & Wills, 2010). Law enforcement encourages social networking for crime reporting and welcomes the opportunity to monitor and review information that is gathered online and to collate the results of several social media interaction (Demoss, 2011; Slessor, 2011). It also gives law enforcement agencies a peculiar opportunity to respond strategically and proactively (Olson & Wills, 2010). In this globalized economy, crime and violence is very topical and even more so for developing countries (DC). In Latin America and the Caribbean 350 people are murdered daily with the region accounting for over 27% of all homicides that are recorded around the world; yet the region has only 8.5 % of the world’s population (United Nation, 2012). More pointedly, within the Jamaican economy, murder and other violent crimes constitute one of the greatest social problems that the country faces today (Jaffes, 2012). In 2008, crime and violence ranked in the top two most serious problems threatening the country’s economic recovery strategy (Clayton, 2012). Over the past two decades Jamaica has experience an unparallel increase in homicides and violent assaults (Harriott, 2003). The high cost of crime is a serious barrier to investment and competitiveness in the economy especially for the tourism and manufacturing sector (Sullivan, 2010). The reduction of crime in any society may result in positive gains economically. The purpose of this research, therefore, is to utilize a design science approach to create a social networking crime reporting service in Jamaica and to implement and evaluate this tool as a crime-fighting aid for the local police force.